A Few Search Tips For Those Of Us Who Know Less About This Than Our Kids Do
Common Search Commands
A search engine is a specialized computer program that helps you find information. It works very logically: It will always do literally what you tell it to do. The problem is speaking its language so you tell it to find the information you really want. Each search engine usually has its own set of rules in the Help area (look under Advanced Searching). If you're really having trouble locating information, look there for help.
Meanwhile, these are some of the more commonly used and useful commands that you should experiment with when you're researching your answers.
1. Boolean operators are built in to the search engine. They add some very specific directions about the kind of information you need. For example:
2. Use the word AND when you want information about two or more key words together.
Ex. Native American AND Cherokee, assessment AND math.
3. Use the plus (+) or minus (-) signs in front of words to force their inclusion and/or exclusion in searches.
Ex. +anorexia -bulimia (NO space between the sign and the keyword)
4. Use the word OR when you want information containing either of the two or more keywords separated by the OR.
Ex. (Primary OR elementary)
5. Always enclose OR statements in parentheses. AND operators should not be used inside parentheses.
Ex. (college OR university) AND "financial aid"
6. Use the word NOT when you want information about one key word but no information about the other.
Ex. art NOT painting, football NOT playoffs, Cherokee NOT car
7. Use NEAR to search for words within a certain distance from each other
Ex. Independence NEAR Day
8. Always use CAPS when typing Boolean operators in your search statements. Most engines require that the operators (AND, OR, AND NOT, NOT) be capitalized. The engines that don't require it will accept either CAPS or lower case, so you're on safe ground if you stick to CAPS.
Ex. "eating disorder" AND (bulimia OR anorexia)
Other Helpful Ideas
1. Use quotation marks around the names of people, places, or a phrase to make sure that the words appear right next to each other in the same order.
Ex. "multiple intelligence theory," "President Washington," and "California beaches" Note: Do NOT put quotation marks around a single word.
2. Use the | to search for a word or subtopic within a topic
Ex. Computers|mice
3. Use (t:) and (u:) to search a field, ex. title or url, for a word
Ex. t: "lesson plan"
4. Put your most important keywords first in the string. Know the default settings your search engine uses (OR or AND). This will have an effect on how you configure your search statement because, if you don't use any signs (+,-, " "), the engine will default to its own settings.
5. Use truncation and wildcards (e.g., *) to look for variations in spelling and word form.
Ex. library* returns library, libraries, librarian, etc.
6. Type keywords and phrases in lower case to find both lower- and upper-case versions. Typing capital letters will usually return only an exact match.
Ex. president retrieves both president and President
Search for Specific Kinds of Information
1. To find a picture of something, type in image: (topic of interest).
Ex. image: dog, or image: Michael Jordan
2. To find a sound, try using any of the following words: sounds, wav, MIDI
Ex. animals and sounds, animals and wav
3. To find a video, type in video: (topic of interest), or video and (topic of interest)
Ex. video: animals, or animals and video
